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This one-off 1934 Voisin C27 Aerosport originally sold for 90,000 French Francs. Its current market value? $2.75 million. Photo by Dirk De Jager

Voisin might not be a household name today, but in the 1930s it was indeed one of the grandest and most expensive cars built in Paris. Gabriel Voisin built airplanes during World War I, thus gaining valuable knowledge on industrial design and manufacturing.

From this period, he honed a design philosophy that included building cars as light as possible. He bucked the accepted trend of the era, refusing to deliver cars to coachbuilders because he believed they would make the bodies too heavy.

Voisin stuck to his guns and built his own car bodies mostly of aluminum. And while he managed to build and sell more than 11,000 cars in the 20 years leading up to World War II, his extensive use of aluminum is one reason so few people know his name today.

Aluminum was highly sought-after during the scrap drives to contribute to the war effort, and for that reason it is now believed that fewer than 160 Voisin cars survive.

To showcase the marque, the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif., is hosting an exhibit of 16 Voisins on Nov. 8. One of the cars in the exhibit is this one-off C27 Aerosport.

This car is one of the most striking and daring that Voisin managed to build, even more special considering that while this car was being built, he was almost living at the bank's doorstep, trying to find money so he could keep his company going.

Equipped with a 3.0-liter Knight sleeve-valve engine with two Zenith-Stromberg carburetors, the car produced a healthy 104 hp and weighed in at 2,530 pounds. This combo— according to the sales brochure—was good enough to propel the car to a hefty 93 mph.

The car has a futuristic body style with an art deco interior and numerous special design features. Take, for instance, the sliding roof that is vacuum-operated and moves gently into its open position, so that the glass section in the roof functions as the rear window.

The gearbox is a two-speed manual with two more overdrive gears and reverse. Gear changes are made with a lever that operates an electromagnetic switch. You can change gears without using the clutch, yet it is advised that you use it anyway as to put less wear and tear on the driveline.

This article originally appeared in the Oct. 15, 2012 issue of Autoweek. To get Autoweek delivered to your door biweekly, click here.